sy Timoneer

Richard, Boo, Nathaniel, Lia and their guests Greg, Susan, Ellie, Jamie and Matilda joined Timoneer 5 miles south of Dubrovnik in the pretty little town of Cavtat. Soon after arriving they went for a walk around Cavtat and the kids had a slice of pizza. The rain then arrived and they had dinner onboard.

In the morning the rain cleared and they caught a taxi to Dubrovnik and walked around the city wall. Meanwhile we motored to Dubrovnik and picked the guests up by tender and continued 40 miles to the island of Korcula. The rain arrived as we were docking but cleared up soon after giving the guests enough time to walk around inside the walled old town and climb the church tower before returning to the boat for dinner.

Thursday morning we left during breakfast to arrive in Hvar for our 12-1pm slot to dock. After lunch the parents went  walking around town and some climbed to the fort above town. Matilda took the kids to the beach but some didn’t want to get in the water so they came back to the boat. Late afternoon the tourist boats started coming in and rafting up on the dock beside us. Eventually they stopped coming but by this stage there were 10 boats a similar size to us all tied to each other. I’m glad there was no bad weather forecasted . That evening the parents enjoyed a meal ashore.

Next stop was Brac Island, we  anchored off the little town of Milna where the kids enjoyed some tubing. After a tender ride around the coast from Milna to Bobovisce we continue to Split where we tied up alongside, 5 minutes walk from the old town. The afternoon was spent exploring the narrow streets inside the walls of the city.  After dinner the parents went to see Split by dark on a Friday night.

After breakfast Penny went to the market to get fresh supplies. The fruit and veg in Croatia is grown locally and picked when ready to eat so taste great but don’t last long in the fridge. The guests explored a bit more of town. We then headed off towards Trogir and stopped in a pretty bay for lunch, swimming and tubing. We then moved closer to Trogir and the guests went and explored this amazing island fort town, one of the highlights of any trip to Croatia. We went another 10 miles and anchored in Stari Trogir bay for the night.

Sunday we headed up the coast another 10 miles to the pretty little town of Primosten before heading out to the Island of Kakan. The first bay we went to was full of little cruising yachts and we continued to another anchorage on the island.  This island had stone walls everywhere. The kids went tubing and then the parents went for a short tender ride exploring the bay full of yachts.

In the morning we continued north to the Kornati Archipelago National Park. These islands are barren and have stone fences but very little sign of life. We stopped in Vrulje at the Park office and then the guests walked up a hill above the bay getting great views over the islands. The small village in this bay produced olive oil, honey and dry figs which we stocked up on. We continued up the western side of the islands until we reached the 15’ (4.2m) deep very narrow passage through to the eastern side.  We certainly drew some looks as we passed mere meters from the restaurant on the side of the passage. We anchored on the East side of Katina Island near the even shallower  southern passage. Here the kids had a boys verses girls stand up paddleboard (SUP) water battle which kept them busy for an hour or more.  We cooked a BBQ on the back of the boat that night and introduced the guests to kangaroo steaks and also had Penny’s world famous ribs.

Tuesday  the islands got greener and greener as we continued north. They also became populated as we headed out of the national park.  Further up Dugi Island we stopped near Dumboka and took the tender into a Cold War cave for hiding submarines. We spotted a few of these along the coast of Dugi Is. We anchored up off Molat Is.  And the kids continued their SUP water battle.

Greg decided to give the SUP a go and went exploring the bay before breakfast. We stopped for a swim and lunch off Silba Is. before continuing on to Mali Losinj. Here the guest’s went ashore for a short explore before  coming back to Timoneer,  which was anchored just outside the harbour in a nice little bay.

We left during breakfast to head to Pula arriving in time for lunch. Pula has a huge harbour and a ship building industry. It also has one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters just beside the harbour. The guest’s went ashore for a quick look around and then we continued to Brioni National park where we tied up in the marina just before a thunder storm came through. This is a very strange place with Soviet era hotels and villas. Tito use to entertain world leaders here. There are many state gifts here including zebras, ostriches and Somali sheep and also some sculptures scattered around the island. The guests took golf carts to explore the islands safari park and in the morning they also checked out some of the forts.

We left after lunch and spotted some dolphins that were too lazy to play with us. Once clear of the islands we tried sailing but there was not enough wind to turn the engine off so we motor sailed to our final Croatian town, Rovinj. This was yet another beautiful little town with a church on the hill in the centre. It was surrounded by water on 3 sides. Everyone got lost wandering its maze of narrow streets. That evening the guests took us all out for a lovely dinner sitting outside in the old town. Croatian cooking has improved dramatically in the last 10 years.

We cleared customs Saturday morning and were on our way to Venice by 7am. Once again there was no wind. This is the first guest trip that I think I have done that we were not able to sail any of it. We motored the entire 350nm. We approached Venice just after lunch and everyone enjoyed seeing it from sea. We tied up 5 minutes walk along from St Marks Square making for a fantastic view from Timoneer. The guests went and explored some museums for the afternoon and then went out for dinner at one of their favorite restaurants.

Sunday morning after breakfast they were picked up by water taxis and taken to the airport. What a great way to finish a trip.

Timoneer is now approaching Montenegro after a great sail from Venice. We will be here for 2 nights before fueling up and heading 950nm to La Ciotat in France.

“JC” John Cornish
Captain
Yacht Timoneer
Mobile +34 694 452 550
Boat +34 694 452 549
Sat +1 954 793 4581 (VOIP)

The season began with a bit of a rush after we unexpectedly had to haul the boat out of the water in Palma. This was required when we found that the propeller shaft bearing was worn out after just 6 months use. We will have to investigate the cause of this at the end of the season. We went back in the water Wednesday morning and left that afternoon arriving in Villefranche, France Friday.

Ashley and her guests arrived though out  Saturday. On  Sunday the 7 of them caught a bus to Nice for a look around the old town and market. The game plan was then to catch another bus up to Eze Village. This didn’t quite go to plan after just missing a bus and then 30 minutes later the next bus was full and the driver didn’t stop. For them it was only half full compared to the Chinese buses they are used to. After a very expensive taxi they all made it to Eze to enjoy the view from the gardens, wander the narrow alleys of the medieval village, and visit a perfume factory. Meanwhile the crew moved Timoneer to Monaco Port and Mengfei  arrived there by train. Ashley and her sisters Ellie and Charlotte arrived back onboard soon after. Everyone enjoyed an evening onboard that night.

Monday  was a bit of a slow start with lots of chatting around the breakfast table. Some went wandering the streets of Monaco checking out the Palace and the Oceanographic Museum. Some beach time was enjoyed across the border back in France. Drew was the last of the guest’s to arrive late afternoon.  After dinner all 9 guests went to the Casino at Monte Carlo but it was not quite as James Bond as they had hoped and they moved on to check out some of Monaco’s bars.

In the morning we left for Cannes and stopped for  lunch and the afternoon anchored between St Margarite and St Honorat Islands.  Swimming, sunbathing and stand up paddleboards (SUP’s) were the activities of choice for the afternoon before we headed in to Cannes Port. The guests had a quick walk around town before returning to Timoneer for dinner. Wednesday they went and explored a bit more in the morning and then after lunch we went out for a great sail around the Golfe de Napoule. While out sailing the wind got up to 30 knots which made for an exciting docking procedure between 2 other boats. That evening the guests went out for dinner in the narrow walking streets of the old town of Cannes and some ended up in the casino afterwards.

Thursday we continued further West  and anchored for lunch in Agay Bay. Unforcasted wind picked up which made it a bit cool especially after swimming. We then motor sailed to St Tropez and moored up stern to, surrounded by the beautiful old buildings of what was once a sleepy little fishing village. Ice-creams were enjoyed from the famous shop just behind the boat.  After dinner it was time for some people watching ashore and trying out some of the bars.

There was not a lot of enthusiasm in the morning and after breakfast we motored around to Pampelonne Beach and anchored off Niki Beach restaurant.  The plan was to spend the day on the beach with lunch, rose’ and relaxing. Unfortunately we had a hydraulics failure onboard and we could not launch the tender. Most were happy to catch up on some sleep with an alcohol free afternoon onboard. James managed to sort the hydraulic problem just before dinner. We ended up staying the night where we were.

Saturday morning we motored to Cap D’Antibes on a sunny , calm day. We had the fishing lines out and caught a Big Eye tuna. We anchored near the Eden Roc Restaurant at the Hotel Du Cap where the rich and famous wine and dine. Weather wise it was the best day we had. It was a great afternoon for the SUP’s, jumping off the boom, swimming and tubing behind the tender. Late afternoon some went to Antibes to see the Picasso museum and then got lost trying to get back to the boat. The others went to Eden Roc for the most expensive cocktail they have ever had. In the evening we launched Ashley’s 30th birthday summer season with a dress up party and BBQ. The theme was Riviera Chic and most took this to the extreme by over doing it. It made for a great final night together before some of the guests left the next day.

The day started early dropping Mengfei ashore for a 4am taxi to the airport. After breakfast and a swim we motored to St Laurent du Var to drop Charlotte and Ellie near the airport. We continued on to anchor off Villefranche where the guests walked up to the fort on Mont Boron for views over Nice and along the coast towards Monaco. It was another hot, still day and everyone came back and jumped in the water and played on the SUP’s, including headstands and yoga on them. In the evening the guests took the crew ashore for a drink before they went to Loco Loco restaurant for buckets of mussels and fries for dinner in the narrow alleyways of Villefranche.

It was another early start with Diana, Ewan and Drew being dropped ashore for a 6am taxi to the airport. Later in the morning Quoc, Ashley and Nora caught various trains to the airport and we packed up the boat ready for the 880 nautical mile trip to Cavtat, Croatia

Please note below the new phone numbers for the boat for the summer.

“JC” John Cornish
Captain

Noon Position  38deg 47N 001deg 45E

Course  – 43 Degrees   Speed – 10.5   Knots        Day’s Run –  246 Miles

Weather –   Fine and flat seas

Wind  – 5  knots from   090 degrees

We have had a frustrating night with more than a knot of current against us and wind on the nose. On the plus side we have had flat seas. We have had the fishing lines out but no bites yet.

We have just passed Formentera Island and can see Ibiza further west but still have another 6 hours to go before our arrival in Palma.

JC

Noon Position  36deg 23N 002deg  22W

Course  – 80  Degrees   Speed – 11   Knots        Day’s Run – 150  Miles since leaving Gib

Weather –   Overcast with small waves on the nose

Wind  – 14  knots from 70 degrees

The Atlantic is done. We arrived in Gib around 5pm local time and were tied up on the fuel dock by 6pm. Unfortunately we had to wait for another boat to finish fueling before we could start. Paz and Jordi went to the supermarket to get  some fresh fruit and vegies and we were on our way  by 9pm. The trip to Palma is 450 miles and we hope to arrive late tomorrow afternoon. The wind is on the nose so it will be a motoring all the way.

JC

Noon Position 35deg55N 005deg 55 W

Course  -84  Degrees   Speed – 11.5   Knots        Day’s Run –  274 Miles in 23 hrs

Weather – Sunny and calm seas

Wind  – 13  knots from   90 degrees

We made some good speed through the night and now can see Africa to the right and Europe to the left. There has been a lot of traffic all night and now we have all the traffic from Northern Europe merging with all the Atlantic traffic.

There are dolphins jumping in every direction we look and plenty come over to play under our bow. We are about 5 hours from Gibraltar harbour where we plan to fill up with fuel and continue on later tonight to Palma which is a further 450 miles.

We put the clocks forward another hour last night. On our arrival in Gibraltar we will go forward another 2 hours to CEST.

JC

Noon Position 35 deg 43N 11deg  32W

Course  -87  Degrees   Speed – 12.5   Knots        Day’s Run -287   Miles

Weather –   Sunny with 6’ (2m) swells from NE

Wind  – 22  knots from 005 degrees

The wind has arrived! Late yesterday afternoon the wind started to gain strength. We managed sail through the night with the main and genoa giving us good speed around 12-13 knots. This morning the wind picked up more and we had to reef the main sail. Then it increased more and we had to furl away the genoa and unfurl the staysail.  We are still blasting along at over 12 knots. The seas have been building this morning and the ride is becoming bumpier.

Everyone is looking forward to seeing land tomorrow.

JC

Noon Position  35deg 24N 17deg  22W

Course  – 87 Degrees   Speed – 10.5   Knots        Day’s Run – 256  Miles

Weather –  Partly cloudy with 3-6’ (1-2m) swell

Wind  –  5-10 knots from  350  degrees

The lack of wind continues. We have had the calmest West to East Atlantic crossing I have ever done. See the attached photo, it is not exactly what you think the middle of an ocean is going to be like.

We have had more success on the fishing front, catching a 45lb (20kg) Bigeye tuna.  Looking in our Fishes of the Atlantic book we realized that the 2 tuna we caught the day before were Albacore tuna.

We have all the sails up and motoring with the hope to make it to Gibraltar in time to fuel up Wednesday evening so that we don’t have to spend the night there. The wind has slowly been filling in but we are still not at the required speed to arrive in time. By tonight we should have over 10 knots of breeze from the north which should be enough for us to motor sail at 12 kts.

JC

Noon Position 35 deg 00N 22deg  32W

Course  -70  Degrees   Speed -10.5    Knots        Day’s Run – 241  Miles in 23 hrs

Weather –  Sunny with 3’ (1m) waves on the bow and long swells from NE

Wind  – 4  knots from 345 degrees

No sooner had I sent yesterday’s report, then the fishing lines went. Ten minutes later we had 2 very nice 20lb Big Eye tuna onboard. We enjoyed seared tuna steaks for dinner last night and have sushi and sashimi coming up for lunch very soon.

We changed the clocks forward another time zone and have 3 more changes before we are on Central European Summer time.

The weather is still not co-operating  although it could be much worse conditions and still slow so shouldn’t complain at the lack of wind.

We are now starting to see a lot more shipping around us as all the Atlantic traffic is converging on the Strait of Gibraltar.

JC

Noon Position  33deg 46N 27deg 10W

Course  -70  Degrees   Speed – 10.5   Knots        Day’s Run -258  Miles

Weather –  Overcast with 3-6’ (1-2m) swells from NW

Wind  – 3  knots from   100 degrees

After saying we haven’t seen any wildlife we had a visit from 8 dolphins that played on out bow for 5 minutes yesterday. Today we saw more dolphins and birds migrating north towards the Azores.

We have had lots more rain and periods of wind that allowed us to sail at good speeds. Unfortunately the good winds never seem to stay around for more than a few hours. Last night the wind direction changed 90 degrees over a couple of hours and stayed like that for a couple more hours and then within 15 minutes it changed 90 degrees back to where it had been several hours earlier. It is keeping us on our toes.

Now we are motoring with just the mizzen up. We are still waiting for another fish.

JC

Noon Position  32deg 11N 31deg 50W

Course  – 70 Degrees   Speed – 10.5   Knots        Day’s Run – 244  Miles

Weather –   Cloudy with very confused 6’ (2m) swells

Wind  – 8  knots from 200 degrees

Late afternoon we were motor sailing along nicely when suddenly the main halyard broke and everyone jumped into action to get the main sail safely down on deck and contained. Luckily the seas weren’t too bad and we only had 15 knots of breeze. Twenty minutes later we had the spare main halyard lashed on and re hoisted the main with no harm done to the sail. Unfortunately now furling and unfurling the sail is not such a simple job. We also have the tricky job of mousing a new halyard down through the mast and out through a small opening near the base of it. This will have to wait until we are in flat water as the top of the mast is swing back and forth about 30’ (10m) with every roll at the moment.

What little wind we had died last night and we are back to motoring with the mizzen and staysail sheeted in tight as stabilizers. The fishing lines are out today but no strikes. We have seen very little sign of life the last couple of days so not overly hopeful of catching any fish. It doesn’t look like we are going to have any wind for sailing for another couple of days yet.

JC